1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a steering system for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a steering system for four-wheel-drive motor vehicles such as buggies designed for off-road use.
2. Description of the Relevant Art:
Some motor vehicles of four-wheel drive design have two steerable front wheels rotatably supported on a vehicle body by swing arms extending in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60(1985)-234072 filed by the applicant who is the assignee of the present application, discloses a steering system for a four-wheel-drive motor vehicle. According to the disclosed steering system, a V-shaped steering arm is attached to the lower end of a steering shaft connected to a steering handlebar, and ends of two tie rods are coupled to the arms of the V-shaped steering arm in an X-shaped configuration. The opposite ends of the tie rods are connected respectively to the knuckle arms of steerable wheels.
In the aforesaid steering system, the relatively long tie rods extending obliquely inwardly of the steerable wheels impose a limitation on the layout of components between suspensions of the wheels, particularly a gear case mounted on a drive axle for the wheels. Since the intersecting tie rods are disposed one over the other, they require a certain vertical space for their installation. Accordingly, the steering system of the type described above is disadvantageously in that it takes up a relatively large space in which it is positioned.